Pallets are used in most industries to facilitate the shipment of their products. Most Pallets are constructed of wood and can be of different dimensions. Though pallets may be reused, in many cases they are not due to costs and other problems. The economies of recycling wood pallets, as presently configured, is marginal at best. There is often a tremendous shipping imbalance between the origination point and the receiving point which causes pallets to accumulate at receiving points. This is particularly true with regard to pallets sent from the suppliers of produce to the grocery industry. In order for the pallets to be reused, they must be redistributed or sent back to their origination point. The cost of return freight, handling and repair relative to the number of units shipped discourages this activity. As a result, the origination point adds new units to the system while units accumulate at the receiving point creating a huge disposal problem. The disposal problem is particularly acute in and around major metropolitan areas where burning may be prohibited due to environmental concerns.
Since wood pallets are constructed with nails or fasteners, the pallets are not easily disassembled for transport back to an origination point. If the wood pallets are shipped without disassembly, they take up a large volume of shipping space. As shipping rates are dependent on volume as well as weight, shipping costs of assembled pallets are much greater than the cost of shipping disassembled pallets. The shipment of assembled wood pallets is so expensive that in most cases, the shipment and reuse of wood pallets is not economically feasible. Additionally, since wood pallets are not particularly durable, they often require repair before they may be reused. One alternative solution is to disassemble the wood pallets and then reassemble them at the origination point. But the cost of reusing wood pallets which have been disassembled and reassembled is even higher than that of reusing pallets which have not been disassembled due to the labor and material costs of disassembly and assembly of the wood pallets. A new pallet which can be easily and economically reused is therefore desired.
A variety of pallet configurations have existed in the prior art. Some have tried to make improved pallet assemblies by improving the fastening method. But these designs are undesirable as they involve the use of a large number of fasteners which must each be manipulated upon both assembly and disassembly. Many prior pallet assemblies do not have solid one piece top and bottom sections, but rather use a number of smaller pieces joined together to form the top and the bottom platform. These may be less sturdy than the pallets with one piece top and bottom platforms, and then often involve more difficult, and hence more costly disassembly and assembly. Many prior art pallets do not maximize the use of identical components such that the components may be interchanged, stacked, and easily replaced. Some pallets are capable of compact storage and shipment yet are not easily assembled and disassembled. What is needed is a pallet with sturdy one piece top and bottom sections, components that may be placed into a more compact configuration for shipment, and that maximizes the use of identical components and may be quickly and economically assembled and disassembled.
There are a number of control methods well known in the art for tracking goods and the shipment of goods. However, these tracking methods generally track the goods rather than the pallet. To identify and track only the pallet units on which the goods rest, results in recycling inefficiencies. What is needed is a method for use of pallets and other shipping conveyances which allows for the efficient use and reuse of pallets and other shipping conveyances.